The treatment for a gluten intolerance is simple but challenging: stop eating gluten-containing foods.

There are two challenges here: one is discovering if you have a gluten intolerance or not. The other is actually being on a 100% gluten free diet.

A third thing to consider is that many people may seem to have a gluten intolerance, when in fact they have a wheatallergy.

The good news is that by avoiding gluten you are also avoiding wheat. So even if your problem is really a wheat allergy, by maintaining a gluten free diet, you are avoiding wheat. The only downside is an unnecessarily restrictive diet.

Many people do not notice the symptoms of exposure to gluten right away, so they may have this problem for years without being aware of it.

So there is something to be said for a gluten free diet, even when wheat may seem to be the real problem.

Diagnosing a Gluten Intolerance

Gluten allergy tests are not 100% accurate, especially when you consider the many different types of allergic reaction the body may manifest. A test may be 80% accurate for one type of reaction, and miss another type completely.

There are several tests for celiac disease, some better than others. You may still get a false negative with these tests, especially if your reaction is relatively slight.

The best way to test for gluten intolerance is to go on a gluten free diet for at least 8 weeks (preferably longer) and see if you notice a difference in your health and energy levels